Without the measures that have been taken, both locally and nationally, there would have been a larger outbreak, said Gauden Galea, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in China, in a CGTN exclusive interview on Wednesday.

The official earlier led a team to China's Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, to inspect local conditions.

We admire the dedication and respect the sacrifices of Wuhan residents on the prevention and control of the outbreak, said Galea.